FINALLY getting my Oustalet's!

[Elijah]

Three months after the first one I ordered wasn't able to be delivered, I've finally found and ordered a juvenile CB male Oustalet's! Thanks to the super helpful reptile staff at Pet Paradise in Virginia Beach for putting up with my calls every few weeks.

Now I just need to go buy some feeders...

 

[Kath44]

Wtg! When will he arrive? Must share pics when he does.
Kath.

 

[craig90]

Yes, pics are a must. I haven't heard too much about this species, all I know is that they are from the same genus as panthers and grow pretty big. Are they difficult to care for compared to panthers?

 

[Elijah]

Wtg! When will he arrive? Must share pics when he does.
Kath.

Will do! I thought he would arrive tomorrow, but because of the super cold weather here in Illinois, we decided to wait (hopefully only a day or two). But still, soon!

Yes, pics are a must. I haven't heard too much about this species, all I know is that they are from the same genus as panthers and grow pretty big. Are they difficult to care for compared to panthers?

Not at all, or at least from everybody I've talked to, they aren't. They're actually known to be a pretty laid-back species, I've heard a few people call them docile giants. Giants doesn't even begin to describe it though, they can get up to 27 inches or so long.

 

[Tay And A]

Ours was the biggest on the forums that I knew of he once weighed in at 389 grams! Unfortunately he passed away a while ago but my friend melody at Kelso Superworms owns one of his younger brothers

 

[Elijah]

Alright, hopefully the last time I have to say this, but the final ship date is this Wendesday, so he'll arrive Thursday! Super excited, can't wait to post pictures.

 

[chameleonowner32]

Ours was the biggest on the forums that I knew of he once weighed in at 389 grams! Unfortunately he passed away a while ago but my friend melody at Kelso Superworms owns one of his younger brothers

Sorry about him but smith my male who passed away weighed in at 610grams.

 

[Elijah]

He's here! Still don't have a name, but he's doing great. The pics are a bit blurry, but I was obviously a bit more concerned about getting him into his cage along with some crickets. I happened to turn around just as he was snapping up his first cricket, he's a beast!

If you're wondering, the stuff around his eye was just a little bit of moss from the container, no worries there.

 

[ChameleonRave]

Very nice. My female Veiled Chameleon is from there. They are good people to work with.

 

[Elijah]

Very nice. My female Veiled Chameleon is from there. They are good people to work with.

Definitely. Very helpful in scheduling around the not-so-great weather here in Illinois.

 

[Elijah]

Just got done with the first misting (have a Mist King installed) and he's drinking fine too. I was getting a bit worried after FedEx delayed the shipment by 6 hours, but luckily he appears to be healthy as can be.

Now, about that name...

 

[chameleonowner32]

To me thats either a very malnurished male or just an underdeveloped female. The arms are way to skinny. Im going with female because of the lack of a clear male casque. Like this male. Smith was my 610 grammer RIP

 

[Elijah]

To me thats either a very malnurished male or just an underdeveloped female. The arms are way to skinny. Im going with female because of the lack of a clear male casque. Like this male. Smith was my 610 grammer RIP

I tend to doubt it's a female, simply because he (or she?) has quite literally no green in him/her, 100% brown, whereas all of the females I've seen display a mostly greenish hue.

Here's another pic of his arms, I think part of the problem was the angle of the first shot, his skin on his arms and underbelly sort of blended together.

Comparing him with this picture of another male baby (from FLChams, one of our sponsors), his arms are similar. Granted the male shown in this image is a bit younger, but proportionally they are similar.

As far as the casque goes, keep in mind this is a very young chameleon, probably between 2-3 months. However, you can see the start of a casque in this pic.

 

[chameleonowner32]

I tend to doubt it's a female, simply because he (or she?) has quite literally no green in him/her, 100% brown, whereas all of the females I've seen display a mostly greenish hue.

Here's another pic of his arms, I think part of the problem was the angle of the first shot, his skin on his arms and underbelly sort of blended together.

Comparing him with this picture of another male baby (from FLChams, one of our sponsors), his arms are similar. Granted the male shown in this image is a bit younger, but proportionally they are similar.

As far as the casque goes, keep in mind this is a very young chameleon, probably between 2-3 months. However, you can see the start of a casque in this pic.

From the total size ratio to casque its well under developed. Females dont just display green. Can you get a pic of the tail?

 

[Elijah]

Here you go! Sorry, couldn't get the rest of his tail, he was in a bit of an awkward position. If he is malnourished or under developed, what do you recommend?

 

[chameleonowner32]

From what i can see a male. He has a litte hemipenal bulge. here is a fully developed male.

 

[Elijah]

From what i can see a male. He has a litte hemipenal bulge. here is a fully developed male.

Fantastic, as a first time chameleon owner (but not reptile owner, cared for plenty of reptiles over the years), I definitely wanted to go with a male for my first cham. Dealing with egg laying sounds... stressful.

So, if he is under developed at this point, what sort of problems (if any) can I expect going forward? If he's fed plenty (gut loaded/dusted crickets so far, looking into getting feeder worms too), should he develop properly as he ages?

 

[ealizard]

Me to.

I just picked up a female Oustalet, and hoping to mate her,

 

[Elijah]

I just picked up a female Oustalet, and hoping to mate her,

Very pretty coloration. How old?

 

[chameleonowner32]

Very pretty coloration. How old?

That looks like full grown female imo.